WASHINGTON, March 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Commission on Civil Rights announces that it will audio webcast its public briefing examining recent legal developments concerning the intersection of non-discrimination principles with those of religious liberty. The briefing will take place on Friday, March 22, 2013 from 9:30 AM EDT to 1:00 PM EDT, and will be available to the public for listening on the web at http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=92992 (registration required).

For those attending in person, there is no registration required. The public briefing will take place in the hearing room of the Commission's new headquarters offices at 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425 (F Street entrance).

The discussion will involve both the ministerial exception case, Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, and the student group non-discrimination policy case, Christian Legal Society v. Martinez. Also at issue are religious liberty claims under First Amendment provisions other than the Religion Clauses.

There will be two panels at the briefing. The first panel will be composed of speakers involved in the Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC or Christian Legal Society v. Martinez litigation: Kimberlee Colby, Senior Counsel at the Christian Legal Society; Ayesha Khan, Legal Director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State; Daniel Mach, Director, American Civil Liberties Union Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief; and Lori Windham, Senior Counsel, Becket Fund.

The second panel will consist of scholars who will discuss the broader conflict between anti-discrimination norms and religious liberty. Speakers scheduled to appear on the second panel include Alan Brownstein, Professor, University of California at Davis Law School; Marc DeGirolami, Associate Professor, St. John's University School of Law; Leslie Griffin, Professor, University of Nevada Las Vegas Law School; Marci Hamilton, Professor, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Michael Helfand, Associate Professor, Pepperdine University School of Law; and Edward Whelan, President, Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Written comments from the public will be accepted by email during the briefing and afterwards until April 21, 2013 at publiccomments@usccr.gov. Public comments received will become part of the public record.